Well, after coming home with a fun new additive to Lefty's enclosure 3 weeks ago, I was sure that I had brought him a gift. It was a perfectly cut branch to fit his size tank, giving him 3-4 places to climb and explore and bask, which he was enjoying on a log that was getting too small.

It was supposedly "reptile ready" meaning that I didn't need to bleach or cook it, but to be sure, I gave it a good bath and let it completely dry before giving him his "gift". He loved it! Lefty explored thoroughly for the first week, then started to become withdrawn, coming out only to eat, and his excretions became a little further apart. He still came out to play when invited (which is every few days) but wanted nothing to do with the branch. I just kept thinking he'd get used to it, and destress.

It's been about a month, and I noticed that he's STILL not using it, nor spending ANY daylight hours out of his hut - he used to bask in the late afternoon, and usually slept in his moist hide, coming out occassionally to watch me.

So last night as I went to clean the water, I bonked into it, and low and behold a strange dust and a BUG fell out of the thing! I immediately removed it, and cleaned his carpet. Later, I soaked the branch in bleach water, and more of the little bugs came swimming (and floating) off of it.

I was really appalled. I had picked this thing up at a reptile expo, and had bleached it myself before adding it to the tank. As far as I can tell, we don't have a bug problem in my house, and the branch went from the expo to the car (mid-winter), to the bleach, to the tank.

I guess it turns out okay, as Lefty came out last night and basked where the log was, deficated, and went into the moist hide. He seems to be a little more active today.

Anybody ever had something like that happen before? Do you think it was the stress of the bugs as opposed to (or in combo with) the stress of the habitat change? Could they have done any health problems to him?

I vaccuumed the heck out of his carpet. Are there other suggestions on further cleaning or things to check for in Lefty to make sure there are no other problems? (stress, I know, but that seems to be allieviating already!)

Serves me right for spending money on a branch - it was just exactly what I had been looking for though, without the pain of cooking it.

-A

If dust came out with the bugs, it sounds like they're a wood-boring species (they're eating the branch from the inside). They shouldn't be causing any medical issues with Lefty, though maybe their smell or something else was stressing him out. It could be the branch itself was a little too alien for him to enjoy as well (sudden habitat change). If you bleached it, but didn't rinse well enough, that could also be a part of the problem. Bleach smell can be very difficult to completely eliminate. Even if you can't smell it, there may be enough left on it for him to feel after sitting on the branch for a while.

I'd take out the branch and just wait to see if he shows improvement. If he comes back to his old self, it's probably best to leave the branch out of the habitat.

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

Simply bake the wood!
From the sound of things your branch was home to borers. These insects live inside the wood overwintering there. Once inside the enclosure it warmed up and they decided spring had come and it was time to breed.
I had the same thing happen when I frst set up my big iguana enclosure. The bugs are harmless but annoying.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

That was what I always did, and I never had a bug problem. Baking wood smells funny though.

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~Juliane~

LOL You ought to try baking soil!
Your housed will reek for days!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Ewww! I'll bet! That sounds awful!

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~Juliane~

Thanks - now given that I have a gas stove and really don't want to blow up, would you suggest wrapping in foil so dust and stuff doesn't fall in, start fire, blow up house? Also, temp and times! Thanks!

Just dust the wood off and bake it. if you are concerned about any dust just put a cookie sheet or peice of foil underneath.
325 to 350 for 30 minutes. The wood is not going to combust at those temps.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I bake mine at 400 for 30 minutes and have yet to have a problem. I stick it in a glass baking dish.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.